BOCA RATON, Fla. (January 7, 2013) – Florida Atlantic University’s University Galleries in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters present “Papercuts,” an exhibition featuring seven artists, from Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 through Saturday, March 2, 2013. The exhibition will be presented in the Ritter Art Gallery, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. The Ritter Art Gallery will be open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with an Opening Gallery Talk with participating artist and Curator Reni Gower on Friday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. The exhibition, gallery talk and other related public programs are free and open to the public.

Born in Australia, France, Czech Republic, Canada, and the United States, the artists in "Papercuts" - Jaq Belcher, Béatrice Coron, Michelle Forsyth, Reni Gower, Lenka Konopasek, Lauren Scanlon and Daniella Woolf - bring a broad range of contemporary perspectives to the art of paper cutting. The artists manipulate, bend, and cut paper, creating unique works ranging from visual narratives to complex sculptural abstractions. Their works, some bold and some subtle, celebrate nuance, handmade craft, and a process that traces its origins back to sixth century China. Light, shadow, and color play key roles, transforming this ancient technique into a dynamism filled with delicate illusions.

Each artist contributes a unique sensibility within a complex (often installation based) construct that has hand cut paper at its core. Whether manifested as silhouettes, romanticized fictions, enigmatic reenactments, cryptic scripts, or poetic abstractions, the artists address historical, cultural, and personal identity. By encrypting their content through arduous and obsessive processes - cutting, rolling, punching, folding, pinning - these meditative works are charged with narrative, metaphor, and beauty.

"The works in the exhibition are poetic interplays of light and shadow laboriously cut by hand,” said Reni Gower, curator for the exhibition.

In association with both "Papercuts" and a concurrent exhibition called "Pour" in FAU's Schmidt Center Gallery, the University Galleries will present a Family Day event on Saturday, Feb. 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. The two-hour event will include art stations where children and families can create works of art to take home. These hands on activities will explore the process of paint as presented in the “POUR” exhibit and the manipulation of paper as seen in the Papercuts exhibit. FAU art students will lead short informative tours of the both exhibits. The event is free to the public. The University Galleries are open Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m., and Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Visitors must obtain a $2 parking pass or employ the limited metered parking before visiting the Galleries. More extensive parking directions are available online at www.fau.edu/galleries. The Galleries operate an active Museum Education Program that is approved as a Field Experience Provider by the School District of Palm Beach County. Class and other group tours can be arranged both during and at times other than the Galleries’ public hours.

The "Papercuts" exhibition was organized as a traveling exhibition by Reni Gower, associate professor of art, Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to its presentation at FAU, the exhibition was presented at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus State University in Georgia; Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, Indiana; and will be presented later at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia; and University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.

University Galleries programs are made possible in part by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the R.A. Ritter Foundation and Beatrice Cummings Mayer. The exhibition is also sponsored in part by the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. Museum Education Programs are made possible in part by the Kaye Integrative Arts Endowment.

For more information on the exhibition, visit www.fau.edu/galleries.

-FAU-

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of three signature themes – marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges – which provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.